GAZA UNDER SIEGE

Nagieb Khaja (Al Jazeera English 2014, 25 min.)

On July 8, Israel launched an attack on the Gaza Strip, which the Israeli military called 'Operation Protective Edge.' Among its aims, they said, was to bring to an end rocket attacks launched by Hamas and other groups, and to destroy tunnels which were being used to bring in and store weapons. For five days in the run-up to Eid, filmmaker Nagieb Khaja was on the ground in Gaza. Hospitals were filled with injured children and distraught parents, while paramedics put their life on the line to try and reach those buried beneath the rubble. By the time he had arrived, the fighting had been going on for 16 days. Over 750 Palestinians had been killed, most of them civilians. On the Israeli side, 32 troops and three civilians had been killed. This film is an account of what was happening as Israeli strikes decimated neighbourhoods and buildings, documenting what life was like for the people of Gaza living under fire.